Nation Media: Biwott dismisses graft report

Keiyo South MP Nicholas Biwott yesterday scoffed at a report that details how a network in the Moi government looted billions of shillings from the public coffers through offshore companies.

Mr Biwott, a powerful minister during the Moi administration, absolved himself of any wrongdoing, saying he had neither secreted funds abroad nor looted Kenyan taxpayers’ money. “The allegation that I have invested outside Kenya with commercial interests in Israel and Australia is equally false,” he said.

He was reacting to a report compiled by London-based risk advisers Kroll and Associates on the instructions of the Kibaki government in 2004 that identified him as one of the richest people in Kenya.

The report, which had not been publicly released before, appeared on August 31 on the website Wikileaks, which describes itself as intended ‘‘for untraceable mass document leaking and participatory analysis.’’

At the same time, the British government yesterday said although it had offered to help Kenya to recover purloined assets held abroad, the Kibaki administration had never sought such assistance.

Said the head of press and public affairs, Ms Charley Williams: “The British government has offered to assist Kenya recover assets illegally held abroad ... the pledge by our government is in public domain.”

However, Ms Williams said that since the announcement was made two years ago, Kenya had not sought such help.

The UK government also expressed surprise at remarks made by Government Spokesman Alfred Mutua that the British government was not cooperative. Ms Williams said: “The British government made the announcement to assist the people of Kenya of its own volition, but it has not received any request from Kenya to this end.”

The report described Mr Biwott as a skilful businessman who has accumulated power and established an enviable business empire touching almost every sector of the Kenyan economy. But yesterday he denied having interests in the Uhuru Highway Development Real Estate Company, Safaricom, Bidco, a 10,000-hectare ranch in Australia, Banque Belgolaise and Team Simoco.

He also denied having shares in Westmont, Grand Diani Reef Hotel, H. Young and Company, S.R Telecommunications, First American and Pan African Banks, Premier Group of Companies and National Milling Corporation.

The MP said all his investments were established in Kenya and contribute to the country’s economic growth. “These investments are in the public domain,” he added. “Some of these investments have grown and established networks and branches in the region.” The report, which said the corrupt network had looted at least Sh130 billion from Kenyan public coffers, has been kept secret by the Kibaki administration for the past four years. The report says some of the money was traced to Britain, Switzerland, South Africa, the United States, Namibia and Malawi as well as the Cayman Islands and Brunei.

The issue of corruption at the highest level has soured relations between London and Nairobi for two decades. The UK Foreign Office on Friday called the claim by Dr Mutua to the effect that Britain had been asked for help but declined “incorrect.”

The FCO statement added: “We stand ready to assist Kenya with any asset recovery as we have done successfully with Nigeria. But the Kenyans have not requested assistance despite our offer. Nor have they provided the information we would need to comply with any such request.

“Last year, when (the then attorney-general), Lord Goldsmith, was in Kenya with Kenya’s assistant minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Danson Mungatana, they confirmed publicly that we had offered this assistance.”

The statement, made to The Guardian newspaper in response to its lead story yesterday, is unusual but reflects London’s determination not to be seen in any way to be hindering corruption efforts in Kenya.

UK High Commission officials in Nairobi have been in contact with the Kenyan government to “clarify” the accusation that Britain had refused to help.

It was reported yesterday that a Kroll report handed the Kenyan government three years ago alleged that President Moi’s cronies and family members stole more than £1 billion (Sh135 billion) from public coffers.

According to Wikileaks, Kroll’s 110-page investigative dossier on corruption under the Kanu government was handed over to President Kibaki in 2004 but its contents had always remained secret.

Further revelations from the report published in The Guardian claim that in 2004 Kenyan anti-corruption officials were about to freeze an offshore account with around $300 million (Sh20 billion) in stolen money but were thwarted by a tip-off from Kenya when the money was moved out of the account.

The UK paper added that Kroll had investigated 17 other senior Kenya government officials with ties to former president Moi, but that the reports had yet to be made public.

Sir Edward Clay, a former high commissioner in Kenya who once accused the Government of “vomiting on the shoes” of donor countries by failing to stem corruption, said there was now enough information available to “blow not just the Mois, but most of the Kenyan establishment out of the water.”

Kroll itself has refused to comment publicly on the report, but it has now been revealed that it shut down its Africa practice in April last year, because it judged the continent “too risky” a venue.